Novartis (NVS) has entered into a definitive agreement for the acquisition of Genoptix (GXDX) for $25 per share in cash. Genoptix overall option implied volatility of 62 is above its 26-week average of 47, according to Track Data, suggesting larger price movement.

RockTenn (RKT) and Smurfit-Stone Container (SSCC) announced that the boards of directors of both companies have approved a definitive agreement under which Smurfit-Stone will become a wholly owned subsidiary of RockTenn. The aggregate consideration, consisting of 50% cash and 50% RockTenn stock, is valued at $35 per share of Smurfit-Stone common stock. Smurfit-Stone Container overall option implied volatility of 44 was near its 26-week average, according to Track Data.

Options Update is by Stock Specialist Paul Foster of theflyonthewall.com.

Options Update: Genoptix Volatility Elevated into Novartis's Acquisition originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 25 Jan 2011 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Could a stock that you made 1,100% on still have room to run? Yes, it is possible. In particular if it had a near death experience as a penny stock for a while.

That is the case with Newcastle Investments (NCT), the CMBS lender and real estate investment company that reached a recent high of $7.10 and has settled back down, most recently hovering between $6.70 to $7.00. It closed Thursday December 23 at $6.71.

Continue reading Chasing Value: 2011 Stock Picks -- Part 2

Chasing Value: 2011 Stock Picks -- Part 2 originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 27 Dec 2010 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Chasing Value: Pre-Christmas Quick Takes

Chasing Value: Pre-Christmas Quick Takes originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 23 Dec 2010 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

U.S. stock futures are trading lower Wednesday morning as investors are awaiting inflation and manufacturing data. Futures on the Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 43 points to 11,378.00 and S&P 500 futures lost 5.50 points to 1,231.30. Nasdaq 100 futures dipped 9.50 points to 2,204.50.

U.S. stocks closed higher yesterday, with the blue-chip Dow index rising 0.42%.

Continue reading U.S. Stock Futures Lower as Investors Await Economic Data

U.S. Stock Futures Lower as Investors Await Economic Data originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 15 Dec 2010 08:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Analyst Upgrades

• Tyco Electronics (TEL) and Weight Watchers (WTW) to buy from neutral, and Smithfield Foods (SFD) to buy from underperform, at BofA/Merrill.
• Red Hat (RHT) to overweight from equal weight at Morgan Stanley.
• Gold Fields (GFI) to overweight from neutral at HSBC.
• Novartis (NVS) to outperform from neutral and GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) to neutral from underperform at Credit Suisse.
• Dollar General (DG) to buy from hold at ThinkEquity.
• Eagle Rock Energy (EROC) to outperform from sector perform at RBC Capital.

Continue reading Analyst Calls: AZN, DG, GSK, NBS, NRGY, NVS, RHT, SFD, STX, TYC ...

Analyst Calls: AZN, DG, GSK, NBS, NRGY, NVS, RHT, SFD, STX, TYC ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 07 Dec 2010 11:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

It's that time of year when I start thinking about my 2011 stock picks, and enough folks have been nudging me that I might as well get on with it. The list will not be finalized until the end of the month. During the interim time I will take readers through a number of possibilities, explaining the rational for my suggestions along the way and adding and subtracting until I get the list down to ten.

Today I will start by reviewing opportunities discussed in another post and determine which of these stocks might provide the best value. The list was originally cast as a globally diversified, large cap, dividend paying and relatively stable group of companies that would likely weather any storm. See: Chasing Value: Bonds, Gold, Stocks and Capital Flight

Continue reading Chasing Value: 2011 Stock Picks -- The Journey Begins

Chasing Value: 2011 Stock Picks -- The Journey Begins originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 02 Dec 2010 15:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Analyst Upgrades

• Advance Auto Parts (AAP) was upgraded to Perform from Underperform at Oppenheimer.
• Macquarie upgraded Gen-Probe (GPRO) and Beckman Coulter (BEC) to neutral from underperform.
• Tyco (TYC) was upgraded to neutral from reduce at Nomura.
• BofA/Merrill upgraded Cousins Properties (CUZ) to buy from underperform.
• Morgan Stanley upgraded Energy Conversion (ENER) to equal weight from underweight.
• Thermo Fisher (TMO) was upgraded to buy from hold at Auriga.

Continue reading Analyst Calls: AAP, DF, ENER, KEYW, LVS, NVS, SCHW, SLW, TYC ...

Analyst Calls: AAP, DF, ENER, KEYW, LVS, NVS, SCHW, SLW, TYC ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 10 Nov 2010 11:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

In the midst of deep fear and melodramatic headlines in May, I dove into the market suggesting investors take a hard look at three companies that would survive anything the world could throw at them.

There are often profits to be made from the headlines as fear and greed drive the market. You must have read umpteen times in journals worldwide "my pal Warren's" trumpeting smart investors to buy on fear. Well, last may Novartis AG ADS (NVS), Telefonica SA (TEF) and Unilever ADR (UL) were on sale as fear ruled the day. So let's see how these ideas worked out.

Continue reading Chasing Value: Novartis, Telefonica, Unilever Bought on Fear

Chasing Value: Novartis, Telefonica, Unilever Bought on Fear originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 04 Nov 2010 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Novartis Agrees to Pay $422.5 Million for Settlement

Novartis Agrees to Pay $422.5 Million for Settlement originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 30 Sep 2010 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Analyst Upgrades

• Soleil upgraded Baxter (BAX) to buy from hold on expectations the company will benefit from supply disruptions at privately-held plasma manufacturer Octapharma. The firm raised its price target for shares to $56 from $45.
• Deutsche Bank upgraded Dolby (DLB) to buy from hold, citing valuation following the recent underperformance of shares. The firm upped its price target to $75 from $70.
• Bernstein upgraded Alexion (ALXN) to outperform from market perform based on increased Soliris forecasts for PNH and potential in aHUS. The firm also raised its price target to $75 from $60.
• Agrium (AGU) was upgraded to buy from neutral at BofA/Merrill.
• Roche (RHHBY) was upgraded to conviction buy from neutral at Goldman.
• BMO Capital upgraded Energizer (ENR) to outperform from market perform.

Continue reading Analyst Calls: ADBE, AXP, BAX, COST, DLB, FDX, HOT, NOK, NVS, TWX ...

Analyst Calls: ADBE, AXP, BAX, COST, DLB, FDX, HOT, NOK, NVS, TWX ... originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 22 Sep 2010 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Here is a common sentiment about the stock market: "No fun at all. As I have said before, I believe it has turned into one big casino largely divorced from its original goal of providing capital to companies who produce something of value."

There's a lot of truth to what "granny" recently said to me in an e-mail. Fortunately she also noted "FYI Granny's up 5.86% + dividends." That would give her a gain of about 10% in the past ten months since I posted Where should granny put $50,000, suggesting a very conservative portfolio for an uncertain time.

Not only has she earned a very nice return, surpassing her CD account by 9.5% (20 fold), but she was able to do so with a great deal less volatility than the overall market most of us have lived through.

Continue reading Chasing Value: Granny Said, 'It Has Turned into One Big Casino'

Chasing Value: Granny Said, 'It Has Turned into One Big Casino' originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 16 Aug 2010 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Is Novartis a Buy After Q2 Numbers?

Is Novartis a Buy After Q2 Numbers? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 15 Jul 2010 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading ADHD Patch Helps Investors Focus on Shire

ADHD Patch Helps Investors Focus on Shire originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 07 Jul 2010 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Biogen Multiple Sclerosis Drug Loses Out in Study

Biogen Multiple Sclerosis Drug Loses Out in Study originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 11 Jun 2010 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Novartis MS Drug Gets Initial Okay from FDA Committee

Novartis MS Drug Gets Initial Okay from FDA Committee originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 11 Jun 2010 09:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Perhaps the European Union was doomed from the start and it just took a decade for the more productive member states to realize it.

If you went into a business with a bad partner is there any way for it to work? Inevitably there will be a split and that might be the case for the EU members and the battered euro.

Regardless of the end result shrewd investors should be on the lookout for stock bargains in large successful European companies undermined by the failure of the monetary system. The following three stocks are examples worth considering.

Continue reading EU Collapse Inevitable? No Matter: NVS, TEF and UL Are Buys

EU Collapse Inevitable? No Matter: NVS, TEF and UL Are Buys originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 26 May 2010 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading European Stock Buys: Is Greece EU Drop-Out?

European Stock Buys: Is Greece EU Drop-Out? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 05 May 2010 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

One of my wonderful friends, Ms. P, asked me for some guidance on how she might allocate $50,000 currently earning peanuts in a money market account. Though she is decades from becoming a grandmother, after a brief discussion about her financial parameters, it became clear to me that she was looking for a "granny fund."

In reality, my recommendations would be suitable, and perhaps desirable, for many passive investors as well.

The $50,000 is a portion of money Ms. P has set aside to purchase a home, which might happen in six months, but could also be pushed out further, depending on the economy and her situation. Basically, she wants to cover all her bases because she might need the money at any time and does not want to be caught short, while at the same time she would like to generate some revenue without taking any big risks.

Continue reading Where should granny put $50,000?

Where should granny put $50,000? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 09 Oct 2009 15:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Amgen (AMGN) soars on cancer drug study results

Amgen (AMGN) soars on cancer drug study results originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 08 Jul 2009 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Pfizer (NYSE: PFE), a pharmaceutical entity whose colleagues include Merck (NYSE: MRK), Novartis (NYSE: NVS), and Johnson & Johnson (NYSE: JNJ), will be reporting first-quarter earnings Tuesday. As one has come to expect, the market believes that the company will be experiencing a decline in bottom-line income. The call is for 49 cents per share versus 61 cents per share in the year-ago period.

That's a drop of 20%. That might not sound so hot, but the good news is that Pfizer has a solid recent track record when it comes to beating earnings expectations. So shareholders might be justified in feeling confident about that aspect of the game.

Continue reading Earnings preview: Will Pfizer beat in Q1?

Earnings preview: Will Pfizer beat in Q1? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 27 Apr 2009 08:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.